It’s been 55 years since the first Pride marches took place in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco – the year after the Stonewall riots ignited the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement.

Since then, annual Pride events have taken place around the world and have expanded beyond marches and rallies to incorporate concerts and, in some cases, fully fledged festivals. Even as global LGBTQ+ rights have ebbed and flowed over the decades, the mission of the annual celebration has only been reinforced: Pride is a protest.

In 2025, there is one event that epitomises the spirit and the struggles of the current Pride movement, and it’s being held in Trump’s backyard. At the time of writing, WorldPride is well underway in Washington, D.C., a stone’s throw from the government that has targeted transgender rights, made major cuts to HIV prevention programmes, and rolled back DEI schemes across the country.

The political timing of WorldPride’s arrival in D.C. is purely coincidental. It was more than two years ago that the local Pride organisation, Capital Pride Alliance, won the bid to host this year’s WorldPride to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the city’s Pride celebrations. Still, organisers found themselves in the eye of the storm.

“There were calls to cancel WorldPride – that D.C., the United States, shouldn’t host it,” Ryan Bos, executive director of Capital Pride Alliance, tells IQ. “But isn’t this how Pride began? It was
about standing up, being visible in hostile environments, and saying, ‘No, we are not going to let this happen; we demand to be part of the fabric of our freedom,’ which is the theme this year.”

“There is a real fear of losing rights that we have fought for for so long”

Still, Bos was forced to publicly caution transgender attendees about travelling to the US as the Trump administration cracks down on the gender minority through executive orders defining gender as either male or female based on sex assigned at birth.

“There has needed to be a lot of education and awareness campaigns,” explains Bos. “What’s going on here has definitely weighed personally on me and others in our team. Our community has been through a lot and continues to be challenged. There is a real fear of losing rights that we have fought for for so long. This hatred and fear isn’t just localised here in the US. This is spreading across the globe.”

Rage Against the Regime
That hatred is notable in Hungary, where prime minister Viktor Orbán banned LGBTQ+ focused events, signing into law a bill that proposes fines of up to 200,000 forints for organisers of Budapest Pride and anyone attending. The bill also allows the use of facial recognition to target and fine attendees of LGBTQ+ events in the country.

However, the disruption to and outlawing of Pride events is nothing new and rarely deters organisers or the community. In fact, EuroPride (the European equivalent of WorldPride) has intentionally selected host cities in countries that are lagging with LGBTQ+ rights, such as Warsaw (2010), Latvia (2015), and Belgrade (2022), in an effort to progress equality.

“We would ask these local Pride organisations: how can we make it happen?” Patrick van der Pas, from EuroPride, tells IQ. “Our mission is to strengthen the Pride movement in Europe and enable organisers to exchange knowledge so they can all benefit and support each other.”

“The fact that many sponsors aren’t able to support openly is extremely frustrating because Pride is about being visible”

Lack of Support
With the international rollback of LGBTQ+ rights, swathes of Pride organisations have seen corporate sponsors step back amid economic fears, particularly in the US.

Eve Keller, co-president of USA Prides, a national network of LGBTQ+ Pride organisers, told NBC News that members across the country have reported receiving significantly less in sponsorship dollars this year. Some of the smaller rural Prides are down 70–90% when compared to the average year, she said. NYC, a major Pride festival, reported a $750,000 budget shortfall.

WorldPride’s Bos says his organisation is expecting to get about $6m in corporate support, about half of what they’d hoped for, which has created some “unique challenges.” A handful of other corporate sponsors are still contributing but covertly, Bos says.

“The fact that many sponsors aren’t able to support openly is extremely frustrating and disappointing for some, because that’s what Pride is about – being visible,” he says. “But they know that
the government won’t award those federal contracts to corporations that overtly support DEI. We’re hoping that human decency and the true value and significance of what diversity, equality,
and inclusion mean will ultimately win out.”

Either way, EuroPride’s Van der Pas says the community will find a way to ensure Pride events continue. “The Pride movement is super resilient, so we’re now seeing other creative ways of gathering money, such as community fundraising and donations,” he says.

“There are only so many out LGBTQ+ artists, which creates a dilemma”

Booking
Politics aside, Pride events are also contending with the well-publicised challenges that all festival organisers are facing in 2025 – perhaps to an even greater degree. The criteria for headline talent, sponsorship, and ticket prices are even more prescribed for Pride events, which are often held to a higher standard than other festivals by attendees. Despite these hurdles, major 2025 Pride events have still managed to draw huge names.

Among WorldPride’s marquee events are ticketed concerts by Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and Troye Sivan, as well as free-to-attend concerts by Cynthia Erivo and Doechii. Elsewhere, attendees can see performances from Tinashe, Kim Petras, Zedd, Raye, Rita Ora, Marina, SOFI TUKKER, Galantis, Paris Hilton, and RuPaul.

That roll call of stars is impressive by anyone’s standard, but even more so when you consider that the pool of available and willing headliners is reduced further to artists who identify either as LGBTQ+ or are regarded as allies of the community.

“There are only so many out LGBTQ+ artists, which creates a dilemma,” says Bos. “I think the community feels that it’s easy [to secure headliners]. Every year they say, ‘Hey, why don’t you get so and so to play.’ But it’s based on tours, availability, costs.”

“Why shouldn’t Pride have some of the best artists in the world?”

He continues: “The ideal, in regard to resources, was to try and find a tour that we could route through D.C. at the time of WorldPride,” he explains. “And one of our goals was to hold a concert in our baseball stadium, Nationals Park.”

The stars aligned for WorldPride DC when Shakira retooled the North America leg of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, which Live Nation routed through D.C. for the beginning of the
LGBTQ+ celebration. However, it was eventually cancelled due to production issues.

The UK’s Brighton & Hove Pride (B&H Pride) has also secured a major coup for its 2025 ticketed event in the form of a UK festival exclusive with Mariah Carey. Pride in the Park organisers have
long set the bar for national and international Pride events, having hosted the likes of Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Dua Lipa, Raye, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Clean Bandit, Pet Shop Boys, Grace
Jones, Sister Sledge, and Carly Rae Jepsen.

“Why shouldn’t Pride have some of the best artists in the world?” Paul Kemp, MD at B&H Pride, tells IQ. “It amplifies the Pride message internationally, and you gain allyship from artists.”

A stalwart of Brighton Pride, Kemp launched the event’s first-ever dance tent in 1992, and many years later, rebuilt it after it fell into administration. During his 12 years at the head of the Community Interest Company, he has transformed B&H Pride from a “traditional Pride” into a world-class event that has raised over 1.4m for LGBTQ+ causes in the city and injects around
£22.5m into the local economy annually. The turning point? Britney Spears.

“For LGBTQ+ artists, it’s an electric, affirming space, where they’re not just included, they’re centred”

Give Me a Sign
“We got lucky with Britney in 2018,” he says. “It was one of the last shows she did out of Vegas, and that was a take-off year for us, going from around 47,000 people to 57,000 on site. There was a lot of national and international media.”

Even though Brighton Pride has evolved into a ticketed event, Kemp maintains it’s still great value for money, especially compared to a regular festival. “For the talent we have, we’re still a lot cheaper,” he says. “It’s just over £100 for two days, with Mariah Carey, Sugababes, Fatboy Slim, etc. Plus, we offer early-arrival, low-income, and accessibility tickets.”

But even ticketed Pride events are not necessarily able to compete with the artist fees offered by major festivals. For EuroPride, bookings can vary drastically from city to city depending on the budget and ambitions of the local Pride organisation.

“We don’t say, ‘Oh, you have to book this artist or spend this money.’ It’s really up to the local organisation,” says Van der Pas. “We think it’s very important that the local touch and feel are embedded.”

This year’s edition in Lisbon, Portugal, is headlined by Spain’s Eurovision contestant Melody, but the most notable bookings include Christina Aguilera (Malta, 2023) and a pre-global-stardom Lady Gaga (2002, Rome). Regardless of purchasing power, organisers believe that the fervent audiences, high-value production, and unique atmosphere are enough to attract big names.

“Allies who show up, support, and genuinely get it? There’s a place for them, too”

“Honestly, it’s the energy,” says Jeff Consoletti, producer of WeHo Pride in West Hollywood, California. “WeHo Pride is where music meets movement – and where the crowd screams every lyric back at you in full glam under rainbow lights. For three wild nights, West Hollywood becomes a global epicentre of queer joy.

“For LGBTQ+ artists, it’s an electric, affirming space, where they’re not just included, they’re centred. What artist wouldn’t want that kind of love reflected back at them like a giant rainbow disco ball? If you’ve never played Pride, you’re missing something truly special. The pitch writes itself.”

Evidently, WeHo Pride has no shortage of artists buying into the pitch. This year’s edition, which took place between 31 May and 1 June, featured Lizzo, Remi Wolf, Kim Petras, Paris Hilton,
and Honey Dijon.

Pride of Place
So what’s the appeal for non-LGBTQ+ artists? “For allies, it’s a chance to show up, turn out, and connect with one of the most loyal, fun, and passionate fanbases on Earth,” Consoletti explains.

“But we’re not checking boxes – we’re curating culture. It’s never about ‘balancing’ queerness; it’s about building a lineup that reflects the spirit of the community. That means queer talent
always comes first. But allies who show up, support, and genuinely get it? There’s a place for them, too. The rule is simple: if you’re coming with respect, love, and the desire to lift up the
community, we’re listening.”

WorldPride’s Bos echoes the sentiment, remembering how American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, a fierce advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, engaged with the crowd at Washington D.C. Pride after the 2016 shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. “I can just remember her heartfelt emotion in that performance and in speaking to the crowd about the importance of Pride and creating this safe space for members of the community,” he tells IQ.

“Pride has always had protest in its DNA – that’s nothing new”

“Having folks who are willing to do that, in essence, saves lives. Our LGBTQ+ youth have never gone through such trying times, and they need to know that there are people willing to fight for us.”
As Bos highlights, Pride celebrations are as important this year as they have ever been, but in the face of the current adversity, this year’s celebrations may be a little less party and a little more
protest.

“Pride has always had protest in its DNA – that’s nothing new,” says Consoletti. “But with our rights under attack, the stakes get higher and so does our volume. Will there be protest energy this year? Absolutely. The artist and the activist are often one and the same, and our stages are platforms for both celebration and resistance.

Our defiance shows up in the music in the streets we parade through, in our joy, and in our visibility. Dancing down the boulevard is inherently political when there are people who want you erased. So yes, we’ll march, but we’ll also rage harder, love louder, and refuse to be dimmed.”

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Shakira was forced to cancel two of her US concerts at the eleventh hour due to production issues.

The Colombian star’s scheduled Thursday (29 May) concert at Boston’s Fenway Park was axed just hours before it was set to start “due to unforeseen circumstances.”

Promoter Live Nation later released a statement, adding: “During a routine pre-show check, structural elements were identified as not being up to standard, so the shows were cancelled. All team members are safe.”

The Jason Aldean and Brooks & Dunn performances scheduled for Friday 30 May at the park were also cancelled.

“During a routine pre-show check, structural elements were identified as not being up to standard”

Due to the complications with her Boston show, Shakira’s Saturday (31 May) WorldPride concert at Washington D.C.’s Nationals Park was also scrapped, less than 24 hours before it was due to begin.

“Shakira’s full tour production cannot be transported to Washington, D.C. in time for her scheduled performance at Nationals Park on Saturday,” read a statement from the venue. “Despite every effort to make it happen, it is not possible to move forward as planned.”

The statement says refunds will be “issued automatically for Ticketmaster and Nationals.com purchases,” while anyone who bought tickets through third-party resellers should contact their point of purchase directly.

Shakira is currently performing in stadiums across North America as part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, produced by Live Nation. The tour’s previous leg in Latin America sold 1.3 million tickets and broke several records.

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HFStival, a legendary US rock festival that took place in the 1990s and early 2000s, will return this September.

Launched by the alternative rock station WHFS in 1990, the festival hosted acts such as No Doubt, the Violent Femmes and the Ramones.

It was held at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. from 1993 to 2004; at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore in 2005; and at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, in 2006. It was held again in 2010 and 2011 in commemoration of the now-defunct station’s legacy.

At its peak, the HFStival was the largest yearly music festival on the East Coast, drawing 55,000 to 90,000 people and selling out in a matter of hours.

“Quintessential HFStival acts have been doing an unprecedented business… so it made sense to bring back the festival”

Now, I.M.P., the parent company of DC’s historic 9:30 Club, is reviving HFStival after 13 years.

The one-stage event will take place on 21 September at Nationals Park featuring The Postal Service performing ‘Give Up’, Death Cab For Cutie performing ‘Transatlanticism’, Incubus, Bush, Garbage, Jimmy Eat World, Girl Talk, Violent Femmes, Tonic, Filter, and Lit.

“Quintessential HFStival acts have been doing an unprecedented business, selling more tickets than they ever came close to back in the day, so it all made sense to bring back the HFStival,” says Seth Hurwitz, owner of I.M.P., the 9:30 Club, The Anthem, and The Atlantis and operator of Merriweather Post Pavilion and Lincoln Theatre.

“This will be a show for everyone who went to HFStival in decades past and those who weren’t around to be a part of the scene.”

Tickets range between $150–475 (€140–442) and the festival will employ a “fan-friendly” lottery system, which is open from now until 16 June.

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All Things Go, an independent US festival renowned for its female-dominated lineups, has shared details of a second 2024 event.

The Washington DC-based festival will also take place in New York City this autumn, with headliners Reneé Rapp, Janelle Monáe, Chappell Roan, MUNA, Ethel Cain and Julien Baker.

The inaugural event will take place at the 13,000-capacity Forest Hills Stadium on 28 and 29 September – the same weekend as its DC counterpart.

Holly Humberstone, Samia, Del Water Gap, Soccer Mommy, Coco & Clair Clair, Mannequin Pussy, Indigo DeSouza, Towa Bird and Annie DiRusso will also perform at the NY debut.

The inaugural event will take place at the 13,000-capacity Forest Hills Stadium on 28 and 29 September

Meanwhile, the All Things Go flagship festival (cap. 40,000) will return to DC’s Merriweather Post Pavilion for a 10th edition, which is sold out for a third consecutive year.

Maren Morris, Remi Wolf, Laufey, Bleachers, Hozier and Conan Gray are on the bill, alongside many of the same acts as the NY edition.

All Things Go started as a blog and blossomed into a one-day festival in 2014. In 2018, singers Maggie Rogers and LPX curated an all-female ATG, solidifying the festival’s commitment to diversity.

Organisers recently spoke to IQ about how curating a diverse event has paid off, saying: “The people want it! We’ve sold out three years in a row, very fast, with a mostly female lineup. At the very least, [festivals should] book 50% female or non-binary acts — there is so much talent out there across genres. Once [festivals] prioritise inclusion [their] community will be stronger because you platform voices that usually don’t get the stage.”

All Things Go has previously hosted the likes of Billie Eilish, boygenius, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Mitski, HAIM, Charli XCX, Lizzy McAlpine, Carly Rae Jepsen and Tove Lo.

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Live Nation Urban has taken a “significant equity stake” in Broccoli City, a Washington DC-based festival touted as “the largest event in the US for Black people under 30-years-old”.

The festival’s co-founders Marcus Allen and Brandon McEachern will now take on executive roles at Live Nation Urban, where they will work with president Shawn Gee to “scale the Broccoli City brand and catalyse the creation of new content and culture-centric live experiences and festivals”.

Launched in 2010, Broccoli City describes itself as a “Black-owned social enterprise” and has featured artists such as Lil Wayne, Cardi B, Childish Gambino, and the late Nipsey Hussle, as well as rising superstars Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Summer Walker, Wizkid, and City Girls.

The festival supports environmental consciousness in the African-American community and promotes creativity through innovative initiatives in the areas of technology, music, art, and social impact.

“For us as a company, this investment was an important one,” says Gee. “When we formed in 2018, one of the first deals we did was the original co-promotion deal with the Broccoli City team. I promised the guys that the success of our partnership would lead to greater things, and it was important to me to keep my word.

“For us as a company, this investment was an important one”

“We are not simply investing in a festival; we are investing in these amazing founders. We believe this will be the first of many brands that we will build together with Marcus and Brandon as they have an insatiable entrepreneurial spirit. One of the core tenants of Live Nation Urban is identifying young black entrepreneurs in the live space and investing in their vision. I’m looking forward to continuing to build with Brandon and Marcus.”

McEachern adds: “We are super excited about this partnership with LNU/LN, and working closer with Shawn Gee. I really appreciate him encouraging us to be big thinking entrepreneurs and brand builders… not limiting us to event producers.”

Allen comments: “We are going to focus on curating untapped niche markets, bigger partnerships, and international expansion. Reimage the future of live cultural experiences. Our big picture goal is to create a 100-million-dollar community at the apex of live entertainment, social impact, and digital media.”

Broccoli City returned this May after a two-year pandemic-induced break, with a lineup topped by 21 Savage, Ari Lennox, Summer Walker and Wizkid.

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The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), an alliance of US grassroots venues formed earlier this month, has written to members of the US Congress to ask for immediate assistance to a sector it says is facing an existential crisis as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The letter – addressed to House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi, House of Representatives minority leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer – asks for urgent “legislative and regulatory” aid for the association’s more than 800 members, including adjustments to the existing paycheck protection program [sic] loan scheme, as well as tax credits for refunded tickets, mortgage/rent payment holidays and the deferral of existing debt.

NIVA, which joins existing small-venue associations such as Music Venues Alliance in the UK, Petzi in Switzerland and KeepOn Live in Italy, is also asking for concrete guidelines on mass gatherings in advance of reopening, and support with complying with any new health guidelines.

“Our passionate and fiercely independent operators are not ones to ask for hand-outs,” explains NIVA board president Dayna Frank, who owns the 1,550-capacity First Avenue in Minneapolis.

“For the first time in history there is legitimate fear for our collective existence”

“But because of our unprecedented, tenuous position, for the first time in history there is legitimate fear for our collective existence.”

Established on 17 April, NIVA’s stated mission is to fight for venues’ survival amid the ongoing nationwide shutdown.

“Independent venues and promoters have a unique set of circumstances that require specialised assistance, so we’ve banded together and secured a powerhouse lobbying firm,” says Gary Witt, CEO of Pabst Theater Group and founding member of NIVA. “Akin Gump has been tapped to represent us, and that telegraphs to Capitol Hill that our needs are serious. Most of us have gone from our best year ever to a dead stop in revenues, but our expenses and overhead are still real, and many will not make it without help.

“Our employees, the artists, and the fans need us to act. But we are also an important income generator for those around us, bringing revenue to area restaurants, bars, hotels, and retail shops.”

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Kelly Flanigan has been named president of Washington DC for Live Nation’s US concerts division.

In her expanded role, Flanigan, who joined Live Nation in 2006 as a talent buyer, will oversee booking, marketing and business operations for the company the region, including Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia.

Meanwhile, long-serving exec Wilson Howard has been promoted to chief operating officer of Washington DC/the Carolinas, US concerts, overseeing Live Nation’s development and long-term strategic planning for the region. Both will report to Bob Roux, Live Nation’s president of US concerts.

The pair’s promotion follows that of Brittany Flores and Neil Jacobsen to president of Miami and COO of Florida, respectively, earlier this week.

“Kelly has been key to Live Nation’s success in DC since joining the company over a decade ago, and her promotion to president of the DC region is very well-deserved,” says Roux. “By elevating Kelly and Wilson, we’re confident that Live Nation will continue to expand our business and our annual concerts throughout the region.”

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Washington, DC-based concert promoter Jack Boyle, who co-founded Cellar Door Productions and went on to become head of music for the first iteration of SFX Entertainment, has died aged 83.

Cellar Door Productions, which spun out of famed DC nightclub the Cellar Door, was at its peak in the ’90s one of the most important regional promoters in the US, with an annual turnover of $75 million. Boyle also owned several major venues, including the Nissan Pavilion (now the 25,262-cap. Jiffy Lube Live) in Bristow, Virginia, and the Sunrise Musical Theatre (3,732) in Miami, Florida.

In 1998, Boyle sold the Cellar Door companies to Robert Sillerman’s SFX for a reported US$105m, joining SFX as head of its music division.

SFX – not to be confused with Sillerman’s second, EDM-focused company of the same name, now known as LiveStyle – was later sold to Clear Channel and in 2005 spun off to form Live Nation.

“To say that Jack was one of the most important people in the music business would be an understatement”

Boyle later went on to a major role with Live Nation, reports THR, before retiring in 2006.

“I worked as Jack‘s assistant when he first began doing concerts,” recalls photographer Michael Oberman, who broke the news that Boyle had passed after a period of illness via his Facebook page. “Realising that the Cellar Door nightclub could sell out six straight nights of Gordon Lightfoot, [he thought], ‘Why not do one night of Gordon Lightfoot at Constitution Hall. Then the Kennedy Center, then the Capital Center and RFK Stadium…

“To say that Jack was one of the most important people in the music business would be an understatement. My condolences to his son, John, and Jack‘s many friends.”

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